On Monday, April 22, the famous and prestigious Laureus Awards gala took place in Madrid, which recognizes outstanding figures in international sports. Several current and retired football stars made an appearance at the ceremony.
One of the Brazilian legends who attended the gala in Madrid was the man considered by many to be the greatest left-back in football history: Cafú.
On the red carpet, the Brazilian spoke to the Spanish press and made various statements about the current state of football, racism, and the most controversial play from the recent El Clásico, the contentious disallowed goal for Barcelona: “In my opinion… it was a goal.”
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Cafu gives his opinion on Barcelona’s disallowed ghost goal
The Brazilian was asked by the press for his opinion on the controversial play, which could have changed the course of the match:
“In my opinion, it was a goal. It’s clear that when he clears it, it’s practically in. But in the VAR decision, the referee, the linesman… for them, it wasn’t.” The Brazilian assured the Catalan and Madrid press.
Regarding the match, Cafú also had words of praise for several of the key players and the clash itself:
“It was a great game. The level of play they propose is impressive. For us, who love football, it’s sensational.”
Praise for Lucas Vázquez and Vinicius
In recent days, especially after his outstanding performance with a goal and an assist against Barcelona and for scoring one of the crucial penalties in the shootout against Manchester City, Real Madrid’s fans affectionately nicknamed homegrown player Lucas Vázquez “Cafúcas,” a nickname that even Vinicius himself recently used, and the Brazilian took this as a compliment.
“It’s very gratifying that people know him by my name in football. He had an exceptional game, he’s a young man who is very successful.”
Cafú also had words of praise for Vinicius, who he believes could one day win the Laureus Award:
“Every great Brazilian player would deserve the Laureus. Vinicius is standing out and gaining experience, which is the most important thing.”
Condemnation of racism
To conclude, Cafú was asked about racism in Spain and denied that it is solely a problem in this country, but rather a global issue:
“The world has racism problems, not only Spain, not only Brazil, not only Germany… it’s a cultural problem. We have to educate people, children, to live without discrimination, without violence, without racism, in order to live in a peaceful society.” The World Cup champion asserted.
Zagallo documentary
Sambafoot Series has launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo’ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays – as a player and as a coach. The first and second episodes is available in Sambafoot’s Youtube channel and the series will receive weekly releases to tell this legend’s life story.
